Yes I know it’s been a while. Even after what I said before, and the time before that.
But I’ve had enough of excuses. Refuelled by family in New Zealand on a diet of kumara and misty mountains, I am going to be posting more regularly now – aiming for once a week to begin with.
And while I have backstories to divulge when my head is screwed in the right direction I thought I’d start with something I saw more recently – or only a week old – an article in the Grauniad caught my attention (some things don’t change). This one was on a concept called SlutWalk – a protest related in the association of blame applied to women in relation to rape who are deemed to dress in a way which attracts attention.
I’m not used to agreeing with Julie Bindel, who can veer towards the mendacious, but I think she’s right when she says that the way that women dress is not the problem, the way men respond to that is.
While sexual imagery and objectification are sensitive areas I think the degree to which the picture is unbalanced is reflected in the one sided nature of modern ‘dating’ (presuming ‘courtship’ is largely redundant), as it is still most often the male who has to make the opening gamble if anything’s going to happen.
If you have a situation where it is perceived that the males are making the choice, then I think that extrapolates to women being the ones who are more associated with passive sexual imagery.
If that’s part of the problem, how do you go about changing that? Aside from my default answer of education, presumably if women felt that they were choosers too (and not just saying yes or no) then you’d begin to redirect the behavioural patterns that knocked things off kilter subsequently.
Thoughts on a postcard?
May 26, 2011 at 01:44 |
I totally agree. It will take time for society to change, but truly equal rights and responsibilities should lead to equal responsibility for being the one to take the plunge and ask the question.
June 4, 2011 at 12:00 |
I saw a reference to a comment by Golda Meir, the scary Israeli PM of years gone by. Someone suggested a curfew on women in the evening to prevent attacks. “No ” said Golda ” i think it is the men who should be off the streets.”
Good to see the rambling and thundering back on air.
June 4, 2011 at 12:23 |
Good to see you back on air.
One issue as Hamlet puts it “the drink, the drink’s to blame.” Too much booze, an uncertain outcome but much more severe consequences for girls rather than boys. Biology is unfair in a number of ways. Golda Meir , scary Israeli PM. was asked if for women’s safety they should be subject to a curfew. “No” she said” It is the men who should be locked up at night.”
June 5, 2011 at 11:57 |
Glad to see rambling and thundering limbering up again. The history of civilisation is the slow triumph of social values over physiology – but it seems a tortuous process. Not sure that binge drinking is easing this situation.
June 6, 2011 at 21:56 |
It seems your commentating was also a tortuous process this time – two of them didn’t come up automatically for some reason, hence the duplication. Either that or a minor case or verbal incontinence!
Not quite sure where you’re coming from with the drink aspect though – the demon drink may fuel crime of all sorts, but not sure how that changes the gender picture?